Recently, the Colonial Pipeline company, which is the largest transporter of oil products in the United States, was attacked by hackers from Europe – they introduced a virus into the giant’s system that encrypted all data. Without this information, the company could not operate normally, and the attackers, unsurprisingly, requested a ransom in the amount of $ 5 million. And the company paid this amount, since the downtime of such a large transporter of oil products would probably result in a much larger amount. True, it soon turned out that the company might well have not paid.
The fact is that the virus that encrypted the company’s data could only be deactivated using a decryptor, which was provided by the hackers in exchange for the ransom received. But this decoder was so slowly engaged in its assigned task that the Colonial Pipeline simply did not wait so long – the delay, again, would eventually result in additional financial losses. And instead of waiting for the decoder to finish working, the tech specialists of the US giant simply deployed their own data backups, restoring the network to normal operation. It is strange that they did not make this decision immediately after the introduction of the virus.
The hackers themselves, immediately after completing their atrocity, issued an official statement that they did not plan to harm such a large company so seriously. Moreover, they promised that in the future they will deal with the selection of targets for attacks more carefully so as not to cause such noticeable damage. They did not provide any comments regarding the too slow operation of the decoder, but the statement that the hackers do not intend to stop their activities suggests that large companies will continue to suffer from attacks.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
